Scream Queens Cancelled? Ryan Murphy Defends Slow Ratings Start

Ryan Murphy has defended Scream Queens‘ disappointing debut ratings amid early fears that the show could meet the Cancellation Reaper.

The horror anthology hybrid nabbed a lower than anticipated 1.7 key demo with 4 million viewers on premiere night, though that number did rise by 80% with delayed viewing factored in.

Speaking to Variety, the series creator spoke with the confidence of a man who expects his show to gain traction across multiple platforms in the coming weeks:

“The story of the fall is just how much people are time-shifting and watching programming in new and much more dramatic ways than even six months ago.

He admits he was “confused” on Wednesday morning, but says he’s had a huge learning curve as the week went on and viewing numbers started to come on from digital platforms. Nielsen’s overnights are only telling half the story, he says. “It’s like reporting on a football game after the first quarter.

“Anything that is horror, the viewing audience is biggest on the weekends, because young women want to watch it during the day with the lights on.”